You're My Hero
by SydneyGirl92
Summary: When fireman/paramedic Merlin puts himself in danger, he finds more at stake than he thought. Warnings: Merthur, deaf character. More warnings inside.
1. Chapter 1

This story is in the same universe as Our Hero where Arthur is a single father and Merlin is a fireman/paramedic but it's not a continuation of that story.

Please forgive any errors I've made about deafness and sign language. Also any errors regarding firemen, paramedics, gunshot wounds and their treatment.

Thanks to my wonderful beta kaseyboy. You're the best!

 **WARNINGS:** Merthur, modern setting, single parent, disability, deafness, gun violence, hostage situation, hospitalization, light angst, romance, happy ending

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 **You're My Hero**

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"Hey Merlin, do you think you could do me a big favor?" Leon asked.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Well, I'm supposed to go to my nephew's school next week. He goes to the School for the Deaf. It's kind of like a career day but not really. Basically, they have people come in and talk, well, sign, to the kids and tell them what they do for a living. Usually it's only the parents or relatives that go and talk to the kids since the kids are deaf but, since you know sign language, I thought maybe you could do it since you're a paramedic. It would be something new for them."

"Um...okay, but I've never signed for more than one person," he said nervously.

Leon knew Merlin was on the shy side so he tried to reassure him. "You'll do fine. It's only going to be around fifteen six-year-olds and their teacher and probably a few other parents."

Merlin took a deep breath before saying, "all right. When do I need to be there?"

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Leon was the fire chief of firehouse twenty-four and had a great group of firemen working for him. They were like one big extended family and Merlin was the newest member of the "family" having been with the department about seven months. Along with being a fireman, he was also a paramedic. He was partnered with Gwaine who was the only other paramedic on their shift.

Leon was married to Morgana Le Fey. They didn't have any children of their own yet but were very close with her nephew Mordred, her half-brother Arthur's son.

Arthur had been raising Mordred on his own since he was just a baby. He was born deaf and Sophia, Arthur's girlfriend at the time, didn't want anything to do with raising a deaf child so she signed over all parental rights to Arthur and hadn't been seen or heard from since. Last Arthur knew, she had moved to the States. Sophia had been an ill-advised attempt to try to convince himself he wasn't gay. After her, he knew he most definitely was. He had no regrets about it though because that's how he got his wonderful son.

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Merlin was a fireman/paramedic in Glasgow before he moved to London. He'd had a bad break-up with his boyfriend and wanted a new start. When he joined Leon's crew, he fit right in and became fast friends with everyone but was especially close to Gwaine, Lance, Percy and Leon.

Leon and the guys, along with their spouses or significant others, often got together for cook-outs or just an evening at the pub. Once Morgana got to know Merlin she absolutely adored him and knew he would be perfect for her brother but unfortunately Arthur really didn't date.

Morgana had set him up on a few blind dates in the past that had turned out horribly. Therefore, a few months ago, when she mentioned to Arthur that there was a new fireman on Leon's crew that would be perfect for him, he absolutely refused to listen to her. Anytime she would bring it up, he would shut her down before she was able to say more than a few words.

She invited Arthur to come along whenever Leon's crew got together so he could meet Merlin but he always refused. He said he felt out of place since everyone there was either a fireman, married to a fireman or dating a fireman.

Morgana finally came up with a plan to get Arthur and Merlin to meet at Mordred's school on career day since Arthur was always there that day. Knowing this, Morgana had Leon ask Merlin to go in his place. She knew the two were perfect for each other and once they met, sparks would fly.

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The following week, Merlin was standing in front of a room of six-year-olds and their parents and teacher.

After the teacher introduced him, Merlin stood and proceeded to sign to the kids for about fifteen minutes telling them what he did as both a fireman and a paramedic. Then he asked if anyone would like to try on his firefighters jacket and helmet. Instantly, all the children raised their hands. He picked Mordred who was jumping with excitement. The teacher asked Merlin to pose for a picture with Mordred dressed in his gear, so he got down on one knee and put his arm around Mordred's shoulders and they both smiled for the camera.

Soon after Merlin had gotten his gear back, his radio went off and he signed to the kids telling them he had to go to the scene of a fire. They all waved goodbye as he rushed out the door and met Gwaine, who had been waiting outside of the building.

As he was rushing out of the school building, Arthur was just pulling up. He had gotten caught in a meeting with his father and was therefore late getting to Mordred's school. He walked into the classroom and spotted Mordred who had a big smile on his face. Arthur walked over to him and he immediately started signing to his dad, telling him how he got to dress up like a real fireman.

The teacher then came over and showed Arthur the picture she had taken of Mordred and Merlin, the fireman. When he saw it, his heart stopped. There was his son smiling brightly with the most gorgeous man Arthur had ever seen smiling just as brightly for the camera.

"Um...can you text me that picture? It's a really cute picture of Mordred," Arthur said to the teacher.

A moment later Arthur's cell phone buzzed and he saved the picture as his new background.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur was sitting in a cafe having lunch the next day. He was on the phone talking to his sister.

"So how was career day?" she asked him.

"Mordred really enjoyed it," Arthur told her.

"Well, what did you think of it?" She was trying to get his reaction to meeting Merlin.

"I got there late because an urgent problem came up so I missed most of it but Mordred enjoyed it."

He then changed the subject and Morgana tried to hide her disappointment that her plan had failed. She'd just have to come up with another way for the two to meet.

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A few days later, Arthur was sitting in a coffee shop having lunch. When the bell above the door rang he casually glanced up. He was instantly hypnotized by the profile of the tall, thin, dark haired man who walked in. The handsome guy went up to the counter to order and as he stood there, Arthur took the opportunity to check him out. He had killer cheekbones and wonderful full lips. His ears were sticking out from under his hair which was curling at the bottom.

When the guy was given his coffee, he smiled at the girl behind the counter and turned. Arthur and the stranger made eye contact for a moment. He instantly recognized him as Merlin, the fireman in the picture with Mordred. Merlin gave a shy smile before he broke the eye contact and walked back outside. In that short moment, Arthur felt lost in his stunning blue eyes.

Arthur looked out the window as Merlin walked away and noticed his nice broad shoulders and how good his arse looked in his uniform pants.

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Arthur's mind kept drifting back to Merlin over the next few days and he would pull out his phone just so he could look at the picture. Arthur thought Merlin looked perfect there with his arm around Mordred with them both smiling. They just looked so natural together. He was tempted to talk to Morgana about Merlin but he knew she would be unbearable if she found out that he had an interest in someone.

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Saturday afternoon, Arthur and Mordred were taking a walk through the park when Mordred went running over to some guy. The guy must have heard him running because he turned and when he saw Mordred he knelt down and gave him a big smile. Arthur realized it was once again Merlin.

"Hi Mordred, how are you?" Merlin signed.

"Great. What are you doing here?" the little boy signed back.

At that moment, a cute little dog ran up to Merlin and dropped a ball in his hand. "I brought my dog here to play ball," he signed.

By this time, Arthur was standing behind his son. Merlin looked up and as soon as Arthur saw his face, he gasped because Merlin was even more beautiful close up.

Mordred grabbed his dad's arm trying to get his attention because he seemed frozen just looking at the other man. Finally, Arthur realized what he'd been doing and shook his head slightly to try to clear it before he looked down at his son.

"Daddy, this is Merlin. He's the fireman that came to my class," he signed with a big smile on his face.

Arthur looked back at Merlin, and signed as well as spoke, "it's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from my son. You made quite an impression on him. I'm Arthur, by the way."

Merlin gave another shy smile and an adorable blush spread across his face, neck and ears. Arthur knew he was done for as soon as he saw that smile and that blush.

"It's nice to meet you too. You have a wonderful son," Merlin signed and spoke back.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Mordred signed before he pulled out his phone. Arthur made sure his son had and knew how to use the phone in case he ever needed to get in touch with him. As it turned out, even at six, his son was quite proficient at using his phone.

Mordred held up his phone and showed it to Merlin. It was the picture his teacher had taken of the two of them that day at school. Merlin looked at the picture and signed, "that's a great picture of you."

"That's a great picture of both of you," Arthur quietly said which caused Merlin to blush even more than before.

Mordred then turned his attention to Merlin's dog and was petting it and laughing as the dog was licking his face.

Finally, Mordred stopped petting the dog long enough to sign, "what's it's name?"

"Her name is Spot," Merlin said with his hands.

"Can I play with her?" he signed.

Merlin smiled as he nodded yes. He then took the ball out of his pocket, where he'd stuck it a few minutes earlier.

He handed Mordred the ball and then knelt back down and started to sign. "Hold the ball in front of Spot so she can see it. Then hold your hand up with your palm facing her. That way she knows to sit and stay. Then throw the ball and she'll go get it and bring it back. When she brings it back, hold your hand out so she'll drop the ball into your hand. Think you can do that?"

Mordred nodded his head eagerly and Merlin nodded and smiled at him to go ahead. The little boy followed his directions and laughed and clapped when Spot brought him back the ball.

"Can I do it again?" he signed the question to Merlin.

Merlin nodded yes and the little boy went back to playing with the dog.

Merlin then stood up and turned around to see Arthur staring at him in awe. "You're amazing with him. Um, how come you know how to sign?"

"My best friend growing up was deaf and I learned it so I could talk to him."

The two men stood there silently and watched Mordred play with Spot for a few minutes until Arthur broke the silence. "Seriously? You named your dog Spot? Your girl dog...you named her Spot?"

"Well I couldn't think of a name so since she has a spot of white fur on her chest, that's what I started calling her. I did intend to change her name once I found one I liked, but she started to answer to Spot, so I never changed it."

They both laughed and from there the conversation seemed to flow. Arthur discovered that Merlin worked with his brother-in-law Leon and then it clicked into place. Merlin was probably the guy Morgana had been wanting to set him up with. Wow was he stupid. If he had known it was Merlin, he would have jumped at the opportunity when she first said something. Now he knew why she thought Merlin was perfect for him.

An hour had quickly passed. When Merlin realized what time it was he apologized and told Arthur he had to go because he had dinner plans with some friends.

Arthur was disappointed to see him leave but they exchanged numbers.

Before he walked away, Merlin walked over to Mordred who was sitting on the ground with Spot in his lap. "Thank you so much for playing with Spot. You did a great job with her. She really likes you," he signed.

"Can I play with her again?" Mordred asked in sign.

"Sure you can," he signed back with a smile.

Arthur walked over and signed to Mordred telling him Spot and Merlin needed to go and they should get going too.

Mordred looked at his dad and nodded, leaned over and gave Spot a big hug and kiss before he stood up. He then turned to Merlin and gave him a big smile and a hug.

Arthur's heart melted when he saw the smile on both their faces. He couldn't believe how wonderful this man was.

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Arthur and Merlin started texting that night.

From Arthur: Hi. Are you home yet?

From Merlin: hi and yeah I am

From Arthur: How was your dinner?

From Merlin: it was nice

From Arthur: I hope I'm not bothering you.

From Merlin: no not at all. it's nice to hear from you

From Arthur: I wanted to thank you for today. You were great with Mordred.

From Merlin: he's a great kid

From Arthur: Thanks. I think so. I think you're pretty great too.

From Merlin: you're making me blush but thanks. I think you're pretty great too.

From Arthur: I hope this isn't too soon but will you go on a date with me?

From Merlin: not too soon and I'd really like that.

From Arthur: Are you doing anything tomorrow?

From Merlin: nothing I can't change.

From Arthur: Will you go out with me tomorrow then? Say around noon?

From Merlin: yes

From Arthur: Text me your address and I'll pick you up at noon.


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur and Merlin's first date was just the two of them. Arthur told him that Mordred was spending the day with his grandfather Uther.

They went to a quiet little restaurant for lunch. Arthur tentatively reached out for Merlin's hand as soon as they were outside. Once they were holding hands, Merlin looked over at him and gave him the most beautiful smile Arthur had ever seen. Since it was a nice day, they spent it just walking around the city and talking.

Time flew by much too quickly for Arthur, who never wanted to let go of Merlin's hand, but he knew he needed to get Merlin back home and then pick up Mordred.

Once they were standing outside the door to Merlin's flat, Arthur asked, "can I kiss you?"

Merlin grinned and nodded yes.

"Oh thank God. I've wanted to do this since I first laid eyes on you," he whispered as he put his hands on Merlin's cheeks and moved closer and closer. Finally, their lips met and it was the most amazing kiss either of them had ever had. Sometime during the kiss, Merlin's hands had moved into Arthur's hair while Arthur continued gently holding and caressing Merlin's cheeks. Neither man wanted it to end but it was Merlin who finally pulled away.

"Wow," Merlin whispered.

"Yeah, wow," Arthur whispered back before he dove back in for another kiss.

Merlin didn't want this to go any farther so he once again pulled back and rested his forehead against Arthur's. "We'd better stop now," he said quietly.

"You're right, as much as I hate to admit it," he said with a grin which earned him a little smack on the arm from Merlin.

Finally they put a little space between them so Merlin could unlock his door.

"Thanks for today. I had a really nice time," Merlin told him.

"Well thanks for agreeing to go out with me. I had a nice time too. So can we do this again?" Arthur asked hopefully.

"Most definitely."

"I'll text you," Arthur said before he leaned back in to give Merlin one more kiss. "See you soon," he whispered before he pulled away and watched Merlin walk into his flat. As soon as the door shut, Arthur turned and walked away leaving part of his heart behind with Merlin. Arthur could definitely see a future with Merlin and the thought of that put a big smile on his face.

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Arthur and Merlin had been dating close to nine months and things were going great. They were in love. Mordred adored Merlin and Merlin adored Mordred.

Their friends were all happy for the couple and approved of their relationship. After Arthur started dating Merlin, he had become good friends with Lance, Gwaine and Percy. He had met them all previously through Leon and Morgana but always felt like an outsider. After he started dating Merlin, he no longer felt out of place and they had all formed a strong bond.

Arthur had introduced Merlin to his father. Uther was very hard to impress but after he met Merlin and saw how he interacted with both Arthur and Mordred, he told Arthur that he approved of Merlin and that he had found a good partner.

Merlin took Arthur and Mordred to meet his mother Hunith. She greeted them both with a warm smile and welcomed them into her home. Hunith had also learned sign language for her son's childhood best friend so she knelt down and signed, "hi Mordred. I'm Hunith, Merlin's mum. It's so nice to finally meet you."

Mordred smiled brightly at her and signed, "it's nice to meet you too." She quickly became the mom Arthur never had and the grandmother Mordred never had.

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Arthur was making plans to make things with Merlin permanent. But first, he needed to talk to Mordred even though he knew what Mordred's answer would be.

"I have a big question I want to ask you and I want you to tell me how you feel about it okay. I want you to be totally honest with me," Arthur signed to his son.

Mordred looked at him and nodded his head yes.

"How would you feel about Merlin becoming part of our family?" he signed.

"I thought he already was," Mordred answered with his hands.

Arthur smiled before he signed, "well, he is but I want to ask him to marry me and then he'd become your dad too. Would you like that?"

Mordred gave him a big smile as he nodded yes and threw his arms around Arthur's neck.

Once they were done with the hugs, Arthur again signed to his son, "okay then, I guess now all I have to do is find a ring and ask him."


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur had been searching for weeks until he finally found the perfect ring. It was Tuesday and he planned out how he was going to propose to Merlin on Friday evening.

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Mordred only had half a day of school on Wednesday so Arthur made arrangements with Morgana to pick him up which she was more than happy to do because she loved spending time with her nephew. Once they were sitting in Morgana's car, she signed, "what do you want to do today?"

Mordred looked at her and signed, "can you take me somewhere to get Daddy and Merlin a present?"

She smiled and signed back, "what kind of present do you want to get them?"

"Daddy got Merlin a ring and I thought I'd get one for them too," the little boy signed.

A smile instantly spread across her face because of how sweet her nephew was and because she just found out that Arthur was going to propose to Merlin. She told him with her hands, "I know a perfect place where we can go to look for something for them."

Morgana then drove off to Albion Jewelers. She had purchased a couple of necklaces from them in the past and knew they would be able to find something there.

Morgana couldn't help but smile as she drove. She knew Mordred didn't understand the significance of the ring Arthur bought for Merlin but thought maybe he would find something else to give them instead.

There was a small cafe a few blocks from Albion so she parked outside it and the two went in and had lunch. They then decided to walk the few blocks to the jewelry shop.

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Wednesday afternoon, Leon's crew got called out to a fire. Once they arrived, they were informed by the police that there was a failed robbery attempt at the jewelry shop next door and the suspects were still inside. They suspected the robbers of setting the fire to create a diversion. It was a small fire that, at the moment, looked to be contained to one area of the building. Leon was asked to take as few men as possible into the building and to use the rear entrance.

Leon had Gwaine and Merlin stay outside in case medical assistance was needed. He took Lance and Percy into the building while police officers were standing outside with their weapons drawn to protect the three. Within minutes they were able to extinguish the fire and were safely back outside in the safe zone the police had set up. They were asked to stand by in case they were needed.

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Prior to their arrival, the robbers had released all the employees once they opened the jewelry vault for them. According to the employees there were two robbers, named Valiant and Cendred, that were armed with guns and two customers inside, a woman and a young boy.

Moments later, gunfire was exchanged between the police and robbers. No one outside was injured and it was unclear if anyone inside had been hit.

A hostage negotiator was quickly brought in. After he had made contact with the two suspects, there was a discussion amongst the police commanders.

Moments later Metro Police Captain Gaius approached Leon and his crew. Leon had known the man for years. He was an old family friend of Uther's and had known Arthur and Morgana since they were little.

"Sorry to ask this Leon, but one of the gunmen was hit and they are willing to release one hostage in exchange for sending in a paramedic."

Leon felt sick to his stomach at the thought of putting one of his guys in clear danger but before he had a chance to say anything, Merlin spoke up. "I'll go in. I've had experience dealing with gunshot wounds."

"No, I'll go," Gwaine quickly said. Lance and Percy also quickly volunteered even though neither was a paramedic but Merlin just waved them off.

Leon looked torn. He knew Merlin had dealt with gunshot victims when he was in Glasgow but that didn't make his decision any easier. Finally he said, "Merlin's right." He put his head down for a minute before he looked directly at Merlin. "Are you sure about this? You don't have to go in there."

Merlin looked at his friend and captain and told him, "I'm sure Leon. It'll be fine."

Leon pulled him into a hug and told him to be careful.

Gwaine, Lance and Percy looked torn but they each gave Merlin a hug and tried one more time to get him to reconsider and let them go in his place but he refused. They were all worried about the man they now considered their brother.

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Merlin was fitted with a bullet-proof vest by a police officer while Gaius told him the robbers names and that they had a long criminal history so he needed to be extremely careful. He nodded and then slowly made his way out of the safety of the staging area and to the door of the jewelry shop. The door was quickly opened and he was pulled inside.

Once inside, Merlin had a gun pushed against his back and was led to the back behind the counter where a man lay bleeding and moaning in pain.

"Help him or you and these two die," the robber, Valiant, growled.

Merlin looked over to where Valiant pointed and was shocked to see Morgana and Mordred huddled together against the other wall. He tried to keep his face neutral and slightly shook his head no. He was trying to silently tell the two not to let the robbers know that they knew each other.

"You agreed to let the hostages go if I came in. I'm not going to touch him until you let them go," he told the gunman bravely. He knew they had only agreed to let one hostage go, but he was praying they'd let them both go.

"Fine," Valiant said and then walked over to Morgana and grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up to her feet. "It's your lucky day. You get to go free."

"No, please, I'll stay! Please let Mordred go! He's only a child! Please!" Morgana begged but Valiant was having none of it.

"You're right, he is only a child and a child is much more valuable than you. Now move it before I hurt the kid!" he yelled at her.

She turned and quickly signed to Mordred, "they are making me leave but I'll see you soon. Pretend you don't know Merlin. I love you." Valiant pushed her towards the door and she reluctantly walked outside with tears streaming down her face. Once outside, she was told to run to the side where there were two police officers waiting to take her to safety.

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As soon as she was outside, Leon was shocked to see his wife coming out of the shop. She was rushed to the staging area where Leon was waiting. As soon as she saw him she threw her arms around his neck while sobbing hysterically that Mordred was still inside.

"It's okay honey, he'll be fine. They'll get him out safely. He's going to be fine. It's okay." He kept repeating the words trying to comfort his wife while inside he was being torn up.

Gwaine, Lance and Percy were all in shock too when they saw Morgana exit the shop. They felt sick knowing that little Mordred was still inside because he was such a sweet kid. They were only slightly comforted knowing that at least he had Merlin with him.

Gaius came over to get all the information he could from Morgana. She told him Cendred had been shot and that Merlin had tried to get them to let Mordred go too but they refused. She then begged him to please get Mordred and Merlin out safely.

"Oh God, I need to call Arthur," she said as she broke down again.

Gaius told her he'd inform Arthur and, once he got his number from Leon, he walked away to make the dreaded call.


	5. Chapter 5

Arthur was in the middle of a meeting with his father when his cell phone started to buzz. There were only a few people who had this number and when he looked at the screen, he didn't recognize the number that was calling. Reluctantly he answered.

"Hello."

"Arthur?" Gaius asked.

"Yes, who is this?" Arthur asked not recognizing the voice.

"I'm sorry Arthur, it's Gaius. There is a situation going on with Mordred..."

"What is it?!" he asked in a panic. Uther, seeing Arthur's reaction, quickly moved so he was standing beside his son listening in on the conversation.

"This would be better if you were here in person. I can send a squad car to come and get you."

"No! Tell me what's going on!" Arthur yelled.

"I'm sorry Arthur, but your son is being held hostage at Albion Jewelers. We are doing everything we can to get his safe release."

"No! That's not possible! He's with Morgana today!"

"I'm sorry but she was released by the robbers just a few minutes ago."

"Oh God, no, this can't be happening," he said as he slumped down in his chair.

It was at this moment that Uther took the phone out of his son's hand. "This is Uther. Where are you?"

As soon as Uther got the address for Albion Jewelers, he grabbed Arthur and led him out of his office and to the lifts. Once in the parking garage, Arthur finally seemed to snap out of his daze and jumped into his father's car before they raced out of the garage and to where his son was being held.

Once they pulled up as close as they could get to the scene, the two men jumped out of the car and were quickly stopped by several officers.

"Let us through!" Arthur yelled. "That's my son in there!" Gaius heard the commotion and rushed over and led the two men to the staging area where Leon was still trying to comfort his wife.

As soon as Morgana saw Arthur she rushed over to him and threw her arms around him. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry! I didn't want to leave him but they said they'd hurt him if I didn't go. Merlin tried to get them to let him go but they wouldn't," she sobbed.

"You're not making any sense," he said to her. "What does Merlin have to do with this?"

Leon answered for her. "I'm so sorry Arthur. One of the robbers was hit by a bullet and the other was demanding a paramedic come and treat him. Merlin volunteered and I sent him in."

Arthur just stared at his brother-in-law. Finally, he spoke, "you mean to tell me that not only is Mordred in there being held hostage but so is Merlin!"

Gaius took over from there. "Yes, that is the situation. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry! Well if you're so sorry then get them both out of there!"

"We are doing everything we can to get their safe release," Gaius told him.

"Well that's not good enough!" Arthur yelled.

Uther then stepped in. He knew Arthur would never talk to Gaius like this under normal circumstances. "Gaius, tell those bastards I will pay however much they want for the safe release of my grandson and Merlin."

Gaius nodded his head as he walked over to the hostage negotiator.

XXX

Meanwhile, inside Albion Jewelers, Merlin watched as Morgana ran from the building. He had hoped and prayed they would let Mordred go but that didn't happen so now his main priority was getting Mordred out of there safely. He quickly gave Mordred a small smile before Valiant yelled at him to help Cendred.

Merlin knelt down beside the wounded man and found that he'd been shot in the shoulder. It was a painful wound but, if treated, wouldn't be deadly.

Merlin went to open his medical kit when Valiant stepped down on the lid preventing him from opening it.

Merlin looked up at him and angrily said, "if you want me to help him, I'm going to have to get supplies!"

Valiant kicked the kit away from Merlin and then bent down and looked inside to make sure there were no weapons hidden in it. Once he was satisfied, he kicked it back over to Merlin.

Merlin first cut off Cendred's shirt so he could see the wound better. He explained that the bullet was still in his shoulder and should be removed.

"Well then do it!" Valiant yelled at him.

"I'd do more damage by cutting into his shoulder to try to find the dam thing. He can live with the bullet in him but I need to clean the wound and sew it up to stop the bleeding."

"Just do it then!"

"It's going to be really painful and it'd be better if it was done by a doctor," Merlin told him.

"Well we don't have a doctor here now do we so I guess it's up to you."

Merlin pulled out a syringe to give Cendred a shot of pain medicine but Valiant stopped him. "You're not going to drug him up so we can't get out of here."

"Fine, but like I said, it's going to be really painful. I'm going to need you to hold him still."

"Try anything funny and I swear the kid will get it," Valiant threatened him.

Fifteen minutes later, Merlin had the area cleaned and was sewing up the wound. Cendred had passed out from the pain. Once finished he looked at Valiant. "Okay, I saved him now let the boy go."

"I don't think so. Like I said to the lady, kids are really valuable and it'll keep the cops back."

"Well at least let me check him out. He hasn't said a word since I've been here." Merlin was trying to play it off like he didn't know Mordred so they wouldn't suspect him of knowing sign language.

"The lady said the kid is deaf."

"I guess you don't have to worry about me talking to him then. Please just let me check him out to make sure he's okay."

"Go ahead but I'll be watching you."

"Whatever," Merlin said before he moved over in front of Mordred. He made sure he had his back to Valiant so he couldn't see him signing to the boy.

"Mordred, answer my questions just by blinking your eyes okay. One blink for yes, two for no. Understand?" Merlin signed to him as he was acting like he was examining him.

Mordred blinked once.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" he again signed.

This time the little boy blinked twice.

"I'm going to get his attention and when I do, you need to run as fast as you can out the door, okay?"

Mordred blinked twice.

"Please, you have to do this for me okay. I'll be out soon after okay."

Mordred blinked once.

"Thank you. I love you. Now when you see me stand up I need you to jump up and run out the door as fast as you can. Promise?"

Mordred blinked once and quickly signed "I love you too."

This time it was Merlin who blinked once and gave him his best reassuring smile.

"Are you ready?"

One blink.

An instant later Merlin jumped up and quickly threw himself on Valiant. As he did this, Mordred jumped up and ran towards the door like Merlin told him to do.


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur was staring at the jewelry shop praying his son and Merlin would be okay when, all of a sudden, he saw his son run outside. A policeman grabbed him quickly and ran off to the side. He was then quickly reunited with his dad.

XXX

Arthur and Mordred were both crying as Arthur held his son tightly in his arms. Morgana ran over and joined them with Uther soon following. Leon and the guys stayed back trying to give the four a bit of privacy.

Finally, Mordred pulled back a little so he could sign to his dad, "Merlin saved me. He jumped on the bad man so I could run away."

Arthur gave his son a small smile and pulled him back into his arms and held him tightly once again.

Leon told Gaius what Mordred had just told Arthur. Gaius then rushed back over to the other commanders.

A minute later, a gunshot was heard coming from inside the shop. Arthur froze and instantly paled and felt like his legs were going to give out at any second. Uther quickly grabbed Mordred from his son's arms.

Gwaine then rushed over and, not wanting the little boy to guess that something bad had just happened based on his dad's reaction, told Uther to bring Mordred over to the ambulance. Morgana went along with them. Since Uther had his hands full holding his grandson she signed to Mordred telling him that Gwaine wanted to check him out to make sure he wasn't hurt.

Mordred nodded his head indicating he understood and then clung to his grandfather.

Once they walked away, Leon, Lance and Percy came over to stand with Arthur. They were all extremely worried.

XXX

Moments earlier, Merlin threw himself at Valiant knocking him to the ground. From there, the two men started fighting each other. Merlin's only concern was giving Mordred enough time to get outside to safety.

The two men rolled on the ground trying to get control of the gun. Merlin knocked it out of Valiant's hand and kicked it a few feet away. Valiant was able to get an elbow to land in Merlin's face. It dazed him for a couple seconds and that's all the time Valiant needed to reach the gun. Merlin quickly recovered and again started fighting for control of it but Valiant was able to maneuver the gun so it was pointed at Merlin's side, where he wasn't protected by the bullet-proof vest. He pulled the trigger and Merlin's body went slack.

Cendred had woken up by this time and had slowly made it to his feet. Valiant quickly jumped up and looked around for the kid. Once he realized he had escaped, he turned back around and started kicking Merlin in the stomach.

Thankfully, the bullet-proof vest he had on prevented the kicks from doing too much damage but unfortunately it hadn't stopped the bullet.

XXX

As soon as Gaius and the other commanders heard the shot, along with knowing that Merlin had apparently attacked one of the gunmen, it was decided that they needed to storm the shop. They feared that Merlin may have been shot and this was the only real option they had to try to save him.

Within a matter of minutes, a group of ten heavily armed cops stormed into the shop. Almost immediately, gunfire was heard. Thankfully it stopped less than a minute later.

Someone was heard yelling for a paramedic. Arthur's heart instantly fell. Merlin was a paramedic so why were they calling for another one.

XXX

There were two additional ambulances with paramedics at the scene. One pair of them ran inside. Within moments the other pair went running in with a stretcher.

Arthur's worst fears soon became reality when the paramedics and several cops came running out with Merlin laying motionless on the stretcher. He was covered in blood and looked dead. Arthur fell to his knees and started sobbing. Leon knelt down beside him and told him Merlin was still alive and was being rushed to the hospital. As he said this, they heard the ambulance's siren blaring.

Gaius ran over to Arthur telling him to get to his police car so he could get him to the hospital faster than if he drove himself. Uther and Leon managed to get him to his feet and told him that Morgana would take care of Mordred. Uther rushed his son over to Gaius's car where the two quickly crawled into the backseat while Leon rushed back over to offer his support to his wife and nephew.

Gaius flipped on his lights and siren and went speeding away from the scene in the same direction that the ambulance had taken only moments before.

XXX

Arthur was pacing in the waiting room. He hadn't been told anything about Merlin's condition yet.

Soon, his sister and son came in. Mordred ran to his dad who scooped him up into his arms. Arthur carried him over and sat down by Uther. Morgana sat down on the other side of him.

Leon, Gwaine, Lance, Percy and the other guys on their crew were sitting around the waiting room as was Gaius.

It broke Arthur's heart when Mordred pulled back and signed asking where Merlin was. Arthur had no idea what to tell him so he signed, "he'll come see you as soon as he can." He left it at that and prayed that was the truth.

XXX

After an hour, Mordred fell asleep snuggled in his dad's arms. Morgana and Uther offered to take the sleeping boy home but Arthur refused. He just couldn't bare to let him go.

No one left the waiting room. They were all on pins and needles waiting for news about Merlin's condition.

Hunith arrived at the hospital about three hours after Merlin had been taken into surgery. It was obvious she'd been crying. As soon as she spotted Arthur, she ran over to him. She reached down and hugged him the best she could since Mordred was still asleep in his arms.

"Any news?" she asked him.

"No, not yet," he told her sounding totally defeated.

"He's a fighter Arthur. He'll pull through." She sounded so sure of this that it gave him hope. He gave her a small smile and nodded his head.

XXX

Earlier, the paramedics discovered that the two robbers were dead and that Merlin had been shot in the side, where the bullet-proof vest didn't protect him. As soon as he arrived at the hospital, a team of doctors and nurses were ready for him and he was immediately rushed into surgery. There it was discovered that the bullet did a lot of damage to his internal organs. After five and a half hours of surgery, he was finally wheeled into the intensive care unit where he was heavily sedated.

XXX

After almost six long agonizing hours of waiting, a doctor came out to the waiting room.

"Hi everyone, I'm Dr. Kaye. I was one of two surgeons who worked on Merlin. First, I'm going to say he's lucky to be alive. It's amazing he didn't bleed to death before he got to us. The paramedics at the scene did a great job. That being said, he has suffered damage to his small intestines, spleen, kidney and vascular structure, all of which we were able to repair but we still need to monitor him closely to make sure he doesn't suffer from any internal bleeding or infection. He's strong and a fighter otherwise he wouldn't have made it this far.

He's been moved to the intensive care unit where he'll stay for the next several days, assuming he has no further complications. We're going to keep him heavily sedated to prevent him from moving around and causing any more damage. The ICU has very restricted visiting hours but two of you should be able to go back to see him tonight. A nurse will come and let you know when they're ready for you. Now, does anyone have any questions?"

"How long do you have to worry about any complications?" Arthur asked.

"The next 24 hours are the most critical and then after he passes the 72 hour mark, he should be mostly out of the woods."

"Assuming he doesn't have any setbacks, how long will he be in the hospital?" Hunith asked.

"I'd say anywhere from seven to ten days but probably closer to ten," the doctor answered. "He'll then need several months of recovery time before he'll be able to return to work." Dr. Kaye looked around to see if there were any more questions. Seeing none, he told the group, "I need to get back but if you have any questions, you can ask the nurse and she'll let me know. Good night everyone."

"Thank you so much," Hunith told him.

"Yes, thank you," Arthur added before the doctor walked away.

XXX

About fifteen minutes after the doctor, left a nurse came over to the group. She explained that in the ICU, visiting hours were at noon, 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm for ten minutes each time.

"We have Merlin all set up in the ICU. I can take two of you back to see him but you'll only be able to stay for a few minutes. After that, you can come back tomorrow at noon," she told them.

Arthur gently handed Mordred over to Uther to hold while he went back to see Merlin along with Hunith. Mordred hadn't woken up since falling asleep hours ago.

XXX

When Arthur finally saw Merlin, he couldn't stop the tears from falling. There was his love, laying motionless on the bed with all kinds of wires and tubes attached to him, fighting for his life and there wasn't anything Arthur could do to help.

Hunith gently grabbed her son's hand and told him how much she loved him and that he needed to get better soon.

She then looked at Arthur, who was still standing there, barely in the room, just looking at her son. He looked so lost it broke her heart. It was clear how much he loved and needed Merlin. Hunith let go of her son's hand and turned to Arthur and said, "talk to him, hold his hand, tell him how much he means to you." She then pulled him into a hug and walked out of the room to give him a few minutes of privacy with Merlin.

Arthur walked to the bed where Merlin lay. He bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead then gently took his hand. "Hey you, I need you to get better for me. Well, for me and Mordred. You saved him and I can never repay you for that but please, you need to get better so I can try. God Merlin I love you so much. Please keep fighting because I need you more than you know." He had to stop because he was too choked up to say anything else so he just leaned over and rested his cheek against Merlin's head.

"I'm sorry sir but I have to ask you to leave now. You can come back at noon tomorrow," the nurse quietly said to him.

He reluctantly stood and let go of Merlin's hand and, with one final look back, he walked out of the room.

XXX

Back in the waiting room, everyone was still there. No one had moved. Arthur looked at them and gave them a small sad smile.

Uther finally spoke up, "well, I think we might as well leave since there's nothing we can do here tonight."

Everyone slowly stood and gave Arthur and Hunith comforting hugs before they all slowly made their way outside.

"Do you want me to take Mordred home with us?" Morgana asked Arthur.

"No, I want to keep him close." He then took his son back from his father and walked outside with everyone else. Someone had brought Uther's car to the hospital and he climbed in with his son and Uther drove them home.

Mordred woke up on their way home and could apparently sense something was going on so he just snuggled close to his dad for the rest of the ride home.

That night, Arthur put Mordred in his bed with him, still not wanting to let his son go. Soon, they both fell asleep.

XXX

Noon the next day, Arthur was sitting once again at Merlin's bedside. Hunith had already been in to see him for a few minutes and again graciously allowed Arthur time alone with her son.

Hunith was holding up much better than Arthur. She kept reassuring him that her son was a fighter and he'd pull through.

XXX

A few hours later, when Arthur was once again alone with Merlin, he spent his time talking to him. He told him how much he loved him and how he wanted to marry him.

"I already have the ring. I was going to propose tomorrow evening. I had this whole romantic dinner planned and everything. You have to get better for me. I love you so much and I can't lose you."

XXX

Arthur refused to leave the hospital between visiting hours and Mordred didn't want to be separated from his dad so he stayed and spent his time playing games on Arthur's laptop. Morgana had offered to take Mordred home but her nephew refused to go. Arthur was relieved that his son wanted to stay because he selfishly wanted him with him.

The 6:00 visiting time passed much like the previous two. Hunith stayed for only a few minutes and then let Arthur have the remaining time alone with Merlin.

Afterwards, Hunith and Uther both insisted that Arthur take Mordred home so they could both get some rest which he reluctantly agreed to.

On their way home, they stopped by Merlin's flat and picked up Spot, who was excited to see them. Unfortunately, they had a few messes to clean up since the poor dog had been alone for over a day and a half.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day when Arthur came back to the hospital, he brought something with him. Once he was allowed in, he rushed over to Merlin's bedside. He looked down at the man he loved and still couldn't hold back the tears.

Arthur leaned over and gently caressed his cheek before he leaned over and gave him a kiss on the forehead since his mouth and nose were still covered by the oxygen mask.

He then pulled up a chair as close to the bed as he could get it and gingerly took ahold of Merlin's left hand being careful of the IV that was attached there.

"Hey gorgeous, it's me. I need you to keep fighting for me okay. Mordred and I need you. We'd be lost without you so please fight for us." He stopped to try to compose himself before he continued.

He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out the engagement ring. "Love, I have a question I want to ask you. I had planned on doing this tonight in a very romantic way but the circumstances have changed so here it goes. Merlin, will you marry me and make me the happiest man alive?"

Of course he got no response.

"Okay, well, since you didn't say no, I guess that means you accept." He carefully slipped the ring on Merlin's finger and then held his hand as he kissed the now ring clad finger.

XXX

It was a long 72 hours later when Dr. Kaye told them that they felt Merlin was past the most critical time so they stopped the medication that kept him heavily sedated.

Arthur was permitted to stay with him until he woke up. Within hours Merlin opened his eyes to see Arthur sitting in a chair pulled close to his bed. He was holding Merlin's hand and had his head down.

Merlin gave his hand a little squeeze. Arthur quickly looked up and when he saw that Merlin was awake, a huge smile broke across his face.

"God Merlin, I was so worried about you. How do you feel?"

Merlin tried to speak but couldn't with the oxygen mask covering his face and nose. He moved his left hand out of Arthur's grip and lifted it up to his face to remove the mask but Arthur stopped him and told him he needed to keep it on.

Merlin then noticed the ring on his finger and gave Arthur a confused look.

Before Arthur could explain, a nurse came in and once she saw that Merlin was awake she buzzed for the doctor. Arthur was asked to leave so they could examine Merlin. He reluctantly did but promised Merlin he would be back to see him as soon as he was allowed.

Arthur shared the wonderful news with Hunith, Uther and Morgana. He knew his sister would let Leon know so he could inform the rest of his crew. The guys had all been at the hospital daily waiting and praying for good news.

XXX

Almost two hours later, Arthur was informed that Merlin had been moved out of the ICU and was now in a private room on the surgical wing. The nurse explained that visiting hours were much longer there.

XXX

Arthur knocked on Merlin's private door before he slowly opened it. As soon as the two men saw each other, both were instantly sporting huge smiles. Merlin no longer had the oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. Instead he had a small oxygen tube under his nose and wrapped behind his ears.

"Hey you," Arthur said as he walked up to the bed and leaned over and gave Merlin a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Hey you," Merlin said back. His voice was rough from lack of use over the past several days but Arthur thought it was one of the sweetest sounds he'd ever heard.

The two talked for a few minutes before Arthur picked up Merlin's left hand and held it in his own as he played with the ring that was now there.

Merlin once again gave him a questioning look but didn't say anything.

"Oh, um, about that. I was planning on asking you to marry me Friday night during a nice romantic evening but then you had to go and be a hero and save Mordred so you kind of derailed my plans so I sort of proposed to you while you were unconscious and since you didn't say no, I took it as a yes so now we're engaged," Arthur rushed out. He took a deep breath before he nervously added, "I hope you're okay with that."

Merlin gave him a huge smile and nodded his head yes.

Merlin then signed to him, since his throat was sore from not using it, "I would really like to hear the proposal though."

Arthur stood up so he could push the chair out of his way. He then dropped down on one knee while he held onto Merlin's hand with both of his.

"I didn't get down on one knee the first time but that obviously didn't matter since you agreed," Arthur told him with a grin. He then turned serious. "Merlin, after our first date, I knew I wanted a future with you. I fell in love with you that day and the more I got to know you the more I fell in love. I don't know how it's possible but everyday I spend with you, I fall more and more in love with you. Will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?"

Merlin smiled brightly and said, "yes, of course I'll marry you. I love you so much."

Arthur then bent down to give him a chaste kiss which soon turned into a deep kiss until Merlin gently pushed him away.

"I have to taste terrible," Merlin told him feeling self-conscious.

"You've never tasted better to me," Arthur told him before diving back in for another kiss.

They were interrupted a few minutes later by Hunith.

"I'll let you two spend a little time alone," Arthur told him. "She hasn't gotten to see you much because she kindly let me hog up most of the time when you were in ICU." He gave Merlin another big smile followed by not quite as deep of a kiss and whispered, "I love you and I'll see you soon."

"I love you too."


	8. Chapter 8

Merlin heard a knock on his door a few hours later when he was alone. Before he had a chance to say anything, the door was shoved open and Mordred came running into the room with a teddy bear in one hand and balloons in the other.

He gave Merlin a big smile once he reached his bed and turned around to look at his dad who had followed him into the room.

"Remember you have to stay off the bed because Merlin can't move around very much because he has a belly ache." That's what Arthur had told his son in advance of seeing Merlin. He didn't want him to get scared if he saw Merlin's stomach wrapped up.

Once Mordred turned back around to Merlin, Merlin signed, "hi Mordred. I'm glad you came to see me. I've missed you."

The little boy turned and gave Arthur the balloons and teddy bear so his hands were free and turned back to Merlin and signed, "I missed you too. Daddy said you have a belly ache so I'm not supposed to climb up on the bed with you. I picked out a teddy bear and balloons for you though and I colored you a picture but I forgot it at home." He then looked sad for a minute before he turned and took the items back from Arthur and gave them to Merlin who gave him a bright smile.

He tucked the teddy bear in his arm while Arthur once again took the balloons and tied them onto the rail of his bed. Merlin then signed, "thank you so much. I love them and I can't wait to see the picture you colored."

Arthur moved a chair up close to the bed so Mordred could sit and he could spend some time talking with Merlin. His son had been really worried about Merlin and Arthur thought this was what he needed so he could see Merlin was going to be okay. After a few minutes Arthur moved over and lifted Mordred up and set him on his lap so he could sit there and just watch his two favorite people in the world.

At one point, Mordred noticed Merlin's ring and he reached out and touched it before he looked sad again and signed, "that's why we were there." When Merlin looked confused Mordred continued. "Aunt Morgana took me to the jewelry shop so I could get you and daddy something."

This was news to Arthur. He had never asked his sister why they had been at Albion Jewelers. He knew she felt horribly guilty about the whole thing and he didn't want to bring it up.

Arthur turned his son around so he could see him sign. "That's okay. How about Merlin and I take you to a different store and let you pick something out once Merlin gets out of here?"

Mordred shook his head no before signing, "it's a surprise so you can't see it. Aunt Morgana said she'd take me somewhere different." He then turned back to Merlin and signed, "you saved me. You're my hero. I was scared but you made me feel not as scared. Daddy said you did that because you love me like he does."

"Your daddy is right. I do love you like you were my own son," Merlin smiled as he signed it.

Mordred then signed back, "can I call you papa?"

Merlin looked at Arthur and both men instantly had tears in their eyes. "There's nothing that would make me happier," he signed before he reached out for the little boy.

Arthur stood up and held Mordred so he could give Merlin a gentle hug.

Once Arthur put the little boy back in his lap Mordred again started signing to Merlin. "I forgot to tell you that I've been taking care of Spot. She's been sleeping in bed with me and I've been feeding her and playing ball with her." He looked so proud of himself.

"Thank you so much. I bet you took such good care of her she probably won't want to come back home with me," he signed with a grin on his face.

Arthur then spoke and signed so his son could see him. "Move in with us then." Mordred's face lit up and he started nodding. Merlin looked at Arthur in surprised. "Please. We're getting married anyway so why wait. I can move your things in while you're here so you won't have to do anything. Please say you'll move in with us so we can be a real family."

Both of them looked so excited about it that Merlin couldn't help but smile and nod his head yes.

Mordred gave his daddy a big hug before he motioned for Arthur to hold him again so he could give his papa a hug too.

XXX

Nine days after the incident, Arthur and Merlin pulled up outside of what was now their home. Once he had helped Merlin out of the car and up to the door, Arthur pulled him in close and whispered, "welcome home. I love you." He then closed the gap between them and kissed him like his life depended on it. They hadn't broken apart yet when the door flew open, shocking them both but not enough to make them let go of each other.

"Welcome home!" people yelled and signed.

The two men walked in and were greeted by Mordred, Morgana, Hunith, Uther, Leon, Gwaine, Lance, Percy and the rest of their friends.

After about two hours, it was clear that Merlin was getting tired and needed to rest so the party slowly broke up.

XXX

Three months later everyone was gathered once again at Arthur, Merlin and Mordred's home for their wedding ceremony which was held in their back garden. It was a beautiful clear day. Mordred stood up beside his daddy and papa and watched as Aunt Morgana signed the words that Gaius, who was licensed to perform marriages, spoke.

Then it was time to exchange rings. The little boy and Morgana had a surprise in store for the two grooms. When Mordred gave Arthur the ring he was going to put on Merlin's finger, Mordred actually gave him two rings. Arthur looked at him thinking that his son had accidentally given him the ring Merlin was to give Arthur but once he looked closer, he saw that one was indeed his ring to Merlin and the other ring was a plain thin silver band that was engraved with the words: Best Papa In The World.

Arthur tried his best to keep his tears at bay but wasn't very successful. He carefully slid his ring and then Mordred's ring onto Merlin's finger.

Merlin encountered the same thing when it was his turn to take his ring for Arthur from Mordred. The extra ring was engraved with: Best Daddy In The World.

Merlin couldn't hold in the tears and as soon as he put his ring followed by Mordred's ring on Arthur's finger both men had tears running down their faces as they grabbed 'their' son and held him tightly as Gaius pronounced them married.

XXX

On Mordred's birthday a few months later, Arthur and Merlin gave their son a silver necklace with two silver rings on it. Both rings were engraved with the same words: Best Son In The World.

The end.

Thanks for reading.


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